My preference, if overnight after a long flight I will book a hotel room at airport depending on price.  I will not pay $ 500 US dollars for one night on any hotel like they want in Hong Kong.   If the layover is during the daytime, then I will find a nice restaurant, buy a novel or pocket book, and kill time.  I do know there is a hotel at airport, I stayed on it once.  But I do not recall the price.  I do remember it was too much, and when I told them I just wanted the room for 10 hours, a shower and sleep, they dropped the price considerably, and I took it.

Guangzhou airport is boring spring for a hotel.......

hmmmmmmmmmmm 14 hours to kill do i even need to answer this question? you all already know. 

It is God damned expensive there. 70 kuai for a coffee. 

I suggest trying to find an earlier flight outta there? 

Book a room at Q City hotel on Agoda.com.  Very easy to get to on the Metro from the airport, nice hotel with cheap rooms if you use Agoda to book.  It is next to many nice restaurants, a Starbucks, and Yuexiu Park if you want to check out a bit of scenery.

Don't waste your time at the airport, get out before you waste too much money. Well ,except maybe if they have that lunch buffet, that is pretty damn good.

When I came over, I landed in Guangzhou. I had an 8 hour lay over at night, booked a cheap room, never again, what a dump. I stayed up all night and just did beer runs across the street.

 I was in Guangzhou yesterday. Its easy to get around on the subway. I was surprised to see English on the maps and stops. I took the bus there and went back to the bus station after I did my errand. It was too hot to go any where and the bus station was too noisy to stay in. I didn't know what to see there if I wanted to wander. Take a deck of cards if your not alone, waiting is a drag.

If You want to stay at airport... I suggest to go to have a book, or a computer with You, go to some small restaurant, have a seat near the power socket... and simply have a rest, reading a book, watching some movies on the computer.

If I had to wait - i usually chose small coffeshops in bottom part of the hall (not at the entry level - there is to noisy for me). There is also massage place there, when You may spent at list 2 hours relaxing.

@nevermind - Coffee in China is always expensive, but if You want just to spend a time - better is beer, or tea. Don't have excess money? Buy some snacks and bring it with You, buying on-site just a tea or beer, or some juices. Maybe really small snack. Yes, there is not a "face", but if You don't have a face in a place where You'll be few times in Your life?

normally i find some places where can charge my laptop or Mobil phone. then greet my relatives,friends,classmates,colleagues....and this really takes a long time.

or read a book....

or walk a bit, see whether there are some new perfumes ,books or whatever, just see whether there are any thing new....

or shooting some pictures, in GZ bai yun airport, i see a few  funny people,no matter what they do,what they talk,what they wear and where they are from...just see their actions,e.g. : how they repack their luggage when it is over weight.....i find it interesting...

Yes you can watch some movies read a book play some card games if you are with anybody. That or you can do what you said you don't want to do which is the buy a hotel room. I don't blame you for 14 hours I would just sit it through and wait.